1. Jules #2
Vin nods. “You’ve thought about this a lot, I see.”
“I wrote my obituary the second he opened his mouth,” I say solemnly.
“Okay, we’re going to talk about that when we’re alone. But first. Do you have to spend our vacation pretending you’re married to Drew?” Vin confirms.
“Yep. Worse than having to keep up this British accent,” I say with a groan.
Lavinia chuckles lightly, pushing a wayward red curl behind her ear. “Think of it this way, in two days, you can pretend that Drew left you on your honeymoon.”
That sparks my interest. “I’ve always wanted to be a scorned woman living her best life.”
“You’re nothing if not resourceful.”
I figure that enough time has passed and Drew and Roman have probably scared off Derek.
Vin and I stop by the restroom on our way back to our seats and my heart sinks when I see that Derek is still there.
And unfortunately, the only seats available are the two next to him.
We still have thirty minutes before our flight starts to board.
“Hold on,” Vin says.
Pulling out her phone, she types out a text message.
Roman glances at his phone and then up at us.
He types something on his phone and Drew’s phone pings.
Drew glances at it briefly before putting his phone away.
Roman takes one seat next to Derek while Drew shifts to the seat previously occupied by me.
Neither Vin or I will have to sit next to Derek.
“Better than we expect under the circumstances,” Vin says.
“Just another thing ruined by men,” I say. I sit down next to Drew and accept my coffee from Roman aka OfLavinia. Because he might be the best guy on the planet and makes my best friend deliriously happy, but to me, he’s only an extension of her.
Drew pulls an eReader out his bag and stretches out his long legs. I’m sure Derek isn’t enjoying sitting between two giant hockey players.
“I’m keeping the house in the divorce,” Drew says, without lifting his eyes from the screen.
I scoff. “And what about the garden I’ve grown with my blood, sweat, and tears? I did that for us and you’re not going to enjoy it on your own.”
“It was my house,” Drew says.
“According to state law, it’s the family house which means I’m entitled to half of it,” I reply.
Drew’s eyes flicker to mine and I see something like surprise in them. Of course, I know state law. I looked it up when I was sixteen because my parents were in the process of getting divorced for the sixth time.
They’re still married.
In a sick, twisted way, they’re really made for each other.
I take a sip of my coffee and sit back to watch the people around us.
Usually, if I’m in a public place, I’ll have my headphones on and I’ll avoid eye contact because I don’t want to be approached.
Not even by mistake. But I’m never listening to music because the conversations around me are so interesting.
I bite into my breakfast pastry as I watch a mother wrangle a crying child back into its seat. It looks like the whole family is travelling and there are more kids running around. It occurs to me suddenly that one day Lavinia and Roman will also have kids running around them at an airport.
With a sigh, I look around and I’m startled to see Drew looking right at me with a weird look.
“Why are you looking at me?” I ask.
“Are you high?” Drew asks.
I gasp lightly, looking around with frantic eyes. “Oh my gosh, is it obvious? Do you think they’ll stop me from flying if they know?”
Drew’s left eye twitches. On any other day, it would make me unimaginably happy to see that twitch. I’m just not in my wits right now and I blame Derek for that. His unwanted presence completely threw me off.
I look down and notice that Drew isn’t manspreading.
He’s sitting like a normal person. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s keeping his legs far away from me because we have a strict no touching rule which he’s never broken.
Not on purpose, at least. Sometimes we’re at dinner with his family and we’re forced to sit next to each other, and our hands or shoulders brush.
“Do you think you can scare Derek off?” I whisper.
“How do you expect me to do that?” Drew whispers back.
I glance at Derek surreptitiously as I pretend to stretch. Maybe it’s just me, but he almost looks uncomfortable stuck between Drew and Roman.
“I don’t know, you’re twice his size. Surely you can figure something out.”
Drew heaves a sigh, looking like he’s regretting his life choices. Ah, there’s the burst of happiness I was missing. Something about seeing Drew harangued is like sunshine and roses for me.
“As a general rule, I don’t like to use my size to scare people,” he says.
The idea of liking Drew for any reason is so offensive to me. Unfortunately, I have to admit that not using his size to intimidate people is one of the few good things about him. I know, it shocks me as well that I can admit it. I’d never do it out loud, though.
Drew assesses me carefully, green eyes boring into mine. “Is he actually bothering you? Did he say something before I got here?”
The protective glint in his eyes surprises me.
“Other than being a creep? No, he didn’t say anything.”
The truth is, just the fact that he’s close is enough for me to want him gone.
I feel like he’s crossing an invisible boundary just by being in my circle, even if he’s harmless and has no ill intentions.
I’m wary of men in my space, especially when I don’t know them and I can’t stop the fissure of fear I feel when they accidentally come too close.
Over the years, I’ve grown comfortable with the Titans, and that’s largely due to Lavinia and the fact that I’ve gotten to know those guys.
“I think I saw one of your books in the bookstore,” Drew says casually.
“You did? I didn’t see it.” One of my greatest joys as an author is seeing my books in bookstores. I get a thrill each time.
“Why don’t you go check again?” he suggests.
Normally, I’d never do anything he suggests. That’s not how I operate and I want to see his eye twitch again when I deny his suggestion.
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
“Always.”
Sometimes he makes me want to act in extremely childish ways. Like right now, I want to stick my tongue out at him for no other reason than he annoys me. I’m not going to give him the satisfaction, though.
Standing up, I look at Vin. “Do you want to go for a walk with me?”
“Always.”
The answer makes me smile. Lavinia and Drew are nothing alike, but they are still twins and that twin behavior comes out in the strangest of ways.
I hook my arm through hers and lead her towards the bookstore. We weave around the crowd, dodging suitcases and crying kids.
“Drew told me to leave,” I tell her, because I can’t keep it to myself.
“And you listened to him? I’m shocked.” The corner of her mouth tilts up into a smirk.
“I’ve grown as a person since our marriage,” I say.
Lavinia snort-laughs as we enter the bookstore. I go to the romance section, and what do you know? One of my books is there. I take a photo for keepsake and then Vin and I wander around the airport until Roman texts us to come back because it’s boarding time.
When we get back, Derek is nowhere to be seen.
“Our unwanted friend is gone?” I ask, hooking my bag over my shoulder.
“Yeah, he left in quite a hurry,” Roman says, looking at Drew.
“It’s almost like our divorce is finalized,” Drew says.
“Aw, shucks.” I pout. “How will I ever recover from this heartbreak?”
Drew opens his mouth to respond when Lavinia steps forward, her stern green eyes bouncing between us. “Okay! I’m putting an end to this right now.”
With a stiff smile at Drew, I turn and get in line for boarding. My only solace is Lavinia, and the fact that Drew will only be with us for two days.